Abstract: A manufacturing feature can be defined simply as a
geometric shape and its manufacturing information to create the shape.
In a feature-based process planning system, feature library that
consists of pre-defined manufacturing features and the manufacturing
information to create the shape of the features, plays an important role
in the extraction of manufacturing features with their proper
manufacturing information. However, to manage the manufacturing
information flexibly, it is important to build a feature library that can
be easily modified. In this paper, the implementation of Semantic Wiki
for the development of the feature library is proposed.
Abstract: Many Thai movies have been very popular
domestically and internationally. Some movies were box office hits
and receiving awards. However, there has not yet been research
about how Thai movies can sell in international markets
The objectives of the research were 1) To analyze the
characteristics of Thai movies that can sell to world audiences; 2) To
investigate the factors making Thai movies into foreign markets. Thai
film professionals were interviewed. Their ideas were analyzed to
find out what factors contributing to Thai movies widely seen in
worldwide markets. Nine foreign audiences were also interviewed to
reveal what characteristics of Thai movies would be well accepted by
the markets.
The results showed that major characteristics of Thai movies
proving successful worldwide were cultural and exotic Thai movies,
outstanding genres, well-known actors, music and songs. Factors
contributing to global market were marketing, qualities of Thai
movies, and financial support from the government.
Abstract: Nanostructured materials have attracted many
researchers due to their outstanding mechanical and physical
properties. For example, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or carbon
nanofibres (CNFs) are considered to be attractive reinforcement
materials for light weight and high strength metal matrix composites.
These composites are being projected for use in structural
applications for their high specific strength as well as functional
materials for their exciting thermal and electrical characteristics. The
critical issues of CNT-reinforced MMCs include processing
techniques, nanotube dispersion, interface, strengthening mechanisms
and mechanical properties. One of the major obstacles to the effective
use of carbon nanotubes as reinforcements in metal matrix
composites is their agglomeration and poor distribution/dispersion
within the metallic matrix. In order to tap into the advantages of the
properties of CNTs (or CNFs) in composites, the high dispersion of
CNTs (or CNFs) and strong interfacial bonding are the key issues
which are still challenging. Processing techniques used for synthesis
of the composites have been studied with an objective to achieve
homogeneous distribution of carbon nanotubes in the matrix.
Modified mechanical alloying (ball milling) techniques have emerged
as promising routes for the fabrication of carbon nanotube (CNT)
reinforced metal matrix composites. In order to obtain a
homogeneous product, good control of the milling process, in
particular control of the ball movement, is essential. The control of
the ball motion during the milling leads to a reduction in grinding
energy and a more homogeneous product. Also, the critical inner
diameter of the milling container at a particular rotational speed can
be calculated. In the present work, we use conventional and modified
mechanical alloying to generate a homogenous distribution of 2 wt.
% CNT within Al powders. 99% purity Aluminium powder (Acros,
200mesh) was used along with two different types of multiwall
carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) having different aspect ratios to
produce Al-CNT composites. The composite powders were processed
into bulk material by compaction, and sintering using a cylindrical
compaction and tube furnace. Field Emission Scanning electron
microscopy (FESEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman
spectroscopy and Vickers macro hardness tester were used to
evaluate CNT dispersion, powder morphology, CNT damage, phase
analysis, mechanical properties and crystal size determination.
Despite the success of ball milling in dispersing CNTs in Al powder,
it is often accompanied with considerable strain hardening of the Al
powder, which may have implications on the final properties of the
composite. The results show that particle size and morphology vary
with milling time. Also, by using the mixing process and sonication
before mechanical alloying and modified ball mill, dispersion of the
CNTs in Al matrix improves.
Abstract: The fault detection and diagnosis of complicated
production processes is one of essential tasks needed to run the process
safely with good final product quality. Unexpected events occurred in
the process may have a serious impact on the process. In this work,
triangular representation of process measurement data obtained in an
on-line basis is evaluated using simulation process. The effect of using
linear and nonlinear reduced spaces is also tested. Their diagnosis
performance was demonstrated using multivariate fault data. It has
shown that the nonlinear technique based diagnosis method produced
more reliable results and outperforms linear method. The use of
appropriate reduced space yielded better diagnosis performance. The
presented diagnosis framework is different from existing ones in that it
attempts to extract the fault pattern in the reduced space, not in the
original process variable space. The use of reduced model space helps
to mitigate the sensitivity of the fault pattern to noise.
Abstract: MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) is an
emerging technology that aims to address many of the existing issues
associated with packet forwarding in today-s Internetworking
environment. It provides a method of forwarding packets at a high
rate of speed by combining the speed and performance of Layer 2
with the scalability and IP intelligence of Layer 3. In a traditional IP
(Internet Protocol) routing network, a router analyzes the destination
IP address contained in the packet header. The router independently
determines the next hop for the packet using the destination IP
address and the interior gateway protocol. This process is repeated at
each hop to deliver the packet to its final destination. In contrast, in
the MPLS forwarding paradigm routers on the edge of the network
(label edge routers) attach labels to packets based on the forwarding
Equivalence class (FEC). Packets are then forwarded through the
MPLS domain, based on their associated FECs , through swapping
the labels by routers in the core of the network called label switch
routers. The act of simply swapping the label instead of referencing
the IP header of the packet in the routing table at each hop provides
a more efficient manner of forwarding packets, which in turn allows
the opportunity for traffic to be forwarded at tremendous speeds and
to have granular control over the path taken by a packet. This paper
deals with the process of MPLS forwarding mechanism,
implementation of MPLS datapath , and test results showing the
performance comparison of MPLS and IP routing. The discussion
will focus primarily on MPLS IP packet networks – by far the
most common application of MPLS today.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of enhancing images from a left and right stereo pair in order to increase the resolution of a 3D representation of a scene generated from that same pair. A new neural network structure known as a Self Delaying Dynamic Network (SDN) has been used to perform the enhancement. The advantage of SDNs over existing techniques such as bicubic interpolation is their ability to cope with motion and noise effects. SDNs are used to generate two high resolution images, one based on frames taken from the left view of the subject, and one based on the frames from the right. This new high resolution stereo pair is then processed by a disparity map generator. The disparity map generated is compared to two other disparity maps generated from the same scene. The first is a map generated from an original high resolution stereo pair and the second is a map generated using a stereo pair which has been enhanced using bicubic interpolation. The maps generated using the SDN enhanced pairs match more closely the target maps. The addition of extra noise into the input images is less problematic for the SDN system which is still able to out perform bicubic interpolation.
Abstract: In this paper, the feasibility study of using a hybrid
system of ground heat exchangers (GHE) and direct evaporative
cooling system in arid weather condition has been performed. The
model is applied for Yazd and Kerman, two cities with arid weather
condition in Iran. The system composed of three sections: Ground-
Coupled-Circuit (GCC), Direct Evaporative Cooler (DEC) and
Cooling Coil Unite (CCU). The GCC provides the necessary precooling
for DEC. The GCC includes four vertical GHE which are
designed in series configuration. Simulation results show that
hybridization of GCC and DEC could provide comfort condition
whereas DEC alone did not. Based on the results the cooling
effectiveness of a hybrid system is more than unity. Thus, this novel
hybrid system could decrease the air temperature below the ambient
wet-bulb temperature. This environmentally clean and energy
efficient system can be considered as an alternative to the mechanical
vapor compression systems.
Abstract: The sand production problem has led researchers into making various attempts to understand the phenomenon. The generally accepted concept is that the occurrence of sanding is due to the in-situ stress conditions and the induced changes in stress that results in the failure of the reservoir sandstone during hydrocarbon production from wellbores. By using a hypothetical cased (perforated) well, an approach to the problem is presented here by using Finite Element numerical modelling techniques. In addition to the examination of the erosion problem, the influence of certain key parameters is studied in order to ascertain their effect on the failure and subsequent erosion process. The major variables investigated include: drawdown, perforation depth, and the erosion criterion. Also included is the determination of the optimal mud pressure for given operational and reservoir conditions. The improved understanding between parameters enables the choice of optimal values to minimize sanding during oil production.
Abstract: The proof of concept experiments were conducted to
determine the feasibility of using small amounts of Dissolved
Sulphur (DS) from the gaseous phase to precipitate platinum ions in
chloride media. Two sets of precipitation experiments were
performed in which the source of sulphur atoms was either a
thiosulphate solution (Na2S2O3) or a sulphur dioxide gas (SO2). In
liquid-liquid (L-L) system, complete precipitation of Pt was achieved
at small dosages of Na2S2O3 (0.01 – 1.0 M) in a time interval of 3-5
minutes. On the basis of this result, gas absorption tests were carried
out mainly to achieve sulphur solubility equivalent to 0.018 M. The
idea that huge amounts of precious metals could be recovered
selectively from their dilute solutions by utilizing the waste SO2
streams at low pressure seemed attractive from the economic and
environmental point of views. Therefore, mass transfer characteristics
of SO2 gas associated with reactive absorption across the gas-liquid
(G-L) interface were evaluated under different conditions of pressure
(0.5 – 2 bar), solution temperature ranges from 20 – 50 oC and acid
strength (1 – 4 M, HCl). This paper concludes with information about
selective precipitation of Pt in the presence of cations (Fe2+, Co2+,
and Cr3+) in a CSTR and recommendation to scale up laboratory data
to industrial pilot scale operations.
Abstract: Abu Dhabi is one of the fastest developed cities in the region. On top of all the current and future environmental challenges, Abu Dhabi aims to be among the top governments in the world in sustainable development. Abu Dhabi plans to create an attractive, livable and sustainable managed urban environment in which all necessary services and infrastructure are provided in a sustainable and timely manner. Abu Dhabi is engaged in a difficult challenge to develop credible environmental indicators that would assess the ambitious environmental targets. The aim of those indicators is to provide reliable guidance to decision makers and the public concerning key factors that determine the state of urban environment and identify major areas for policy intervention. In order to ensure sustainable development in UAE in general, and of Abu Dhabi City in particular, relevant and contextual environmental indicators need to be carefully considered. These indicators provide a gauge at a national government scale of how close countries are to establish environmental policy goals. The environment indicators assist city decision-making in such areas as identification of significant environmental aspects and observation of environmental performance trends. Those can help to find ways of reducing environmental pollution and in improving eco-efficiency. This paper outlines recent strategies implemented in Abu Dhabi that aims to improve the sustainable performance of the city-s built environment. The paper explores the variety of current and possible indicators at different levels and their roles in the development of the city.
Abstract: Modeling product configurations needs large amounts of knowledge about technical and marketing restrictions on the product. Previous attempts to automate product configurations concentrate on representations and management of the knowledge for specific domains in fixed and isolated computing environments. Since the knowledge about product configurations is subject to continuous change and hard to express, these attempts often failed to efficiently manage and exchange the knowledge in collaborative product development. In this paper, XML Topic Map (XTM) is introduced to represent and exchange the knowledge about product configurations in collaborative product development. A product configuration model based on XTM along with its merger and inference facilities enables configuration engineers in collaborative product development to manage and exchange their knowledge efficiently. A prototype implementation is also presented to demonstrate the proposed model can be applied to engineering information systems to exchange the product configuration knowledge.
Abstract: A great deal of research works in the field information
systems security has been based on a positivist paradigm. Applying
the reductionism concept of the positivist paradigm for information
security means missing the bigger picture and thus, the lack of holism
which could be one of the reasons why security is still overlooked,
comes as an afterthought or perceived from a purely technical
dimension. We need to reshape our thinking and attitudes towards
security especially in a complex and dynamic environment such as e-
Business to develop a holistic understanding of e-Business security in
relation to its context as well as considering all the stakeholders in
the problem area. In this paper we argue the suitability and need for
more inductive interpretive approach and qualitative research method
to investigate e-Business security. Our discussion is based on a
holistic framework of enquiry, nature of the research problem, the
underling theoretical lens and the complexity of e-Business
environment. At the end we present a research strategy for
developing a holistic framework for understanding of e-Business
security problems in the context of developing countries based on an
interdisciplinary inquiry which considers their needs and
requirements.
Abstract: Most file systems overwrite modified file data and
metadata in their original locations, while the Log-structured File
System (LFS) dynamically relocates them to other locations. We
design and implement the Evergreen file system that can select
between overwriting or relocation for each block of a file or metadata.
Therefore, the Evergreen file system can achieve superior write
performance by sequentializing write requests (similar to LFS-style
relocation) when space utilization is low and overwriting when
utilization is high. Another challenging issue is identifying
performance benefits of LFS-style relocation over overwriting on a
newly introduced SSD (Solid State Drive) which has only
Flash-memory chips and control circuits without mechanical parts.
Our experimental results measured on a SSD show that relocation
outperforms overwriting when space utilization is below 80% and vice
versa.
Abstract: The objective of this research is parameters optimized
of the stair shape workpiece which is cut by CNC Wire-Cut EDM
(WEDW). The experiment material is SKD-11 steel of stair-shaped
with variable height workpiece 10, 20, 30 and 40 mm. with the same
10 mm. thickness are cut by Sodick's CNC Wire-Cut EDM model
AD325L.
The experiments are designed by 3k full factorial experimental
design at 3 level 2 factors and 9 experiments with 2 replicate. The
selected two factor are servo voltage (SV) and servo feed rate (SF)
and the response is cutting thickness error. The experiment is divided
in two experiments. The first experiment determines the significant
effective factor at confidential interval 95%. The SV factor is the
significant effective factor from first result. In order to result smallest
cutting thickness error of workpieces is 17 micron with the SV value
is 46 volt. Also show that the lower SV value, the smaller different
thickness error of workpiece. Then the second experiment is done to
reduce different cutting thickness error of workpiece as small as
possible by lower SV. The second experiment result show the
significant effective factor at confidential interval 95% is the SV
factor and the smallest cutting thickness error of workpieces reduce
to 11 micron with the experiment SV value is 36 volt.
Abstract: Public parks are placed high on the research agenda, with many studies addressing their social, economic and environment influences in different countries around the world. They have been recognized as contributors to the physical quality of urban environments. Recently, a broader view of public parks has emerged. This view goes well beyond the traditional value of parks as places for more recreation and visual delight, to depict them as valuable contributors to broader strategic objectives, such as property values, place attractiveness, job opportunities, social belonging, public health, tourist development, and improving the overall quality of life. This research examines the role of public parks in enhancing the quality of human life in Egyptian environment. It measures 'quality of life' in terms of 'human needs' and 'well-being'. This should open ways for policymakers, practitioners, researchers and the public to realize the potentials of public parks towards improving the quality of life.
Abstract: Dynamic models of power converters are normally
time-varying because of their switching actions. Several approaches
are applied to analyze the power converters to achieve the timeinvariant
models suitable for system analysis and design via the
classical control theory. The paper presents how to derive dynamic
models of the power system consisting of a three-phase controlled
rectifier feeding an uncontrolled buck converter by using the
combination between the well known techniques called the DQ and
the generalized state-space averaging methods. The intensive timedomain
simulations of the exact topology model are used to support
the accuracies of the reported model. The results show that the
proposed model can provide good accuracies in both transient and
steady-state responses.
Abstract: Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a disorder
characterized by the progressive bone loss induced by estrogen
deficiency in postmenopausal women. This imbalance affects
calcium–phosphate metabolism and results in secondary
hyperparathyroidism. Purariae Radix (PR), the root of P. lobata
(Wild.) Ohwi, is one of the earliest medicinal herbs employed in
ancient China. PR contains a high quantity of isoflavones and their
glycosides, which are regarded as phytoestrogen. Few investigations
of PR are related to its osteoprotective effects. The present study is
designed to administer PR water extract to ovariectomized (OVX)
female rats, for the investigation of its possibly protective actions on
bone and to delineate the potential mechanisms involved. Our results
demonstrated that long-term treatment of PR could not significantly
improve bone properties, whereas it greatly ameliorated the condition
of secondary hyperparathyroidism induced by ovariectomy in those
animals. PR might be useful as alternative regimen for protecting
against postmenopausal bone loss.
Abstract: The great majority of the electric installations belong
to the first and second category. In order to ensure a high level of
reliability of their electric system feeder, two power supply sources
are envisaged, one principal, the other of reserve, generally a cold
reserve (electric diesel group).
The principal source being under operation, its control can be ideal
and sure, however for the reserve source being in stop, a preventive
maintenance-s which proceeds on time intervals (periodicity) and
for well defined lengths of time are envisaged, so that this source will
always available in case of the principal source failure.
The choice of the periodicity of preventive maintenance of the
source of reserve influences directly the reliability of the electric
feeder system. On the basis of the semi-markovians processes, the
influence of the periodicity of the preventive maintenance of the
source of reserve is studied and is given the optimal periodicity.
Abstract: In this work, we present for the first time in our
perception an efficient digital watermarking scheme for mpeg audio
layer 3 files that operates directly in the compressed data domain,
while manipulating the time and subband/channel domain. In
addition, it does not need the original signal to detect the watermark.
Our scheme was implemented taking special care for the efficient
usage of the two limited resources of computer systems: time and
space. It offers to the industrial user the capability of watermark
embedding and detection in time immediately comparable to the real
music time of the original audio file that depends on the mpeg
compression, while the end user/audience does not face any artifacts
or delays hearing the watermarked audio file. Furthermore, it
overcomes the disadvantage of algorithms operating in the PCMData
domain to be vulnerable to compression/recompression attacks,
as it places the watermark in the scale factors domain and not in the
digitized sound audio data. The strength of our scheme, that allows it
to be used with success in both authentication and copyright
protection, relies on the fact that it gives to the users the enhanced
capability their ownership of the audio file not to be accomplished
simply by detecting the bit pattern that comprises the watermark
itself, but by showing that the legal owner knows a hard to compute
property of the watermark.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose an advanced ILQ control for the buck-converter via two-degrees of freedom servo-system. Our presented strategy is based on Inverse Linear Quadratic (ILQ) servo-system controller without solving Riccati-s equation directly. The optimal controller of the current and voltage control system is designed. The stability and robust control are analyzed. A conscious and persistent effort has been made to improve ILQ control via two-degrees of freedom guarantees the optimal gains on the basis of polynomial pole assignment, which our results of the proposed strategy shows that the advanced ILQ control can be controlled independently the step response and the disturbance response by appending a feed-forward compensator.